Moon Gods and Goddesses

To those of us in the West, the most familiar deities of the moon are female -- moon goddesses. Our word lunar, as in the lunar cycle of full, crescent, and new moons, comes from the feminine Latin Luna. This seems natural because of the association of the lunar month and the female menstrual cycle, but not all societies envision the moon as a woman. Here are some of the moon gods and moon goddesses of major ancient religions.

1. Artemis
Nationality: Greek
Moon Goddess
In Greek mythology, the sun god was originally Helios (whence words like heliocentric for our sun-centered solar system) and the moon goddess Selene, but over time, this changed. Artemis and Selene, just like Apollo and Helios, came to be associated. Apollo became a sun god and Artemis became the goddess of the moon.

There is evidence that Luna was viewed as a male deity in the Graeco-Egyptian era as well. I have found a great invocation to the moon from that period which I use in my Luna rituals. This comes from the "Greek Magical Papyri" edited by Hans Dieter Betz. Although short, in ritual it should be chanted 9 times (nb: 9 = the number of the Moon) to achieve the proper effect.

Hail! SAX, AMUN, SAX, ABRAXAS;
For thou art the Moon, the chief of the stars,
He that did form them.
Listen to the things that I have said,
Follow the words of my mouth,
Reveal thyself to me,
THAN, THANA, THANATHA, THEI
This is my correct name.